Mercedes Updates CLS63 AMG

Four-door performance coupe and Shooting Brake get the same mechanical upgrades as the new E63 AMG, including more powerful engine, available all-wheel drive and a flagship S-Model.

The new E-Class may be getting the bulk of attention from Mercedes-Benz, but when the doors open at the Detroit Auto Show next week, the German automaker will also be showcasing an upgraded version of the CLS63 AMG. Incorporating many of the updates applied to the just-released E63 AMG, the new CLS63 is powered by a revised 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8, now producing 557 horsepower (instead of 518), but available in 585 horsepower in the new S-Model trim that replaces the AMG Performance package on the previous model.

Like the E63, the new CLS63 (available in four-door coupe or five-door Shooting Brake body-styles) is also being offered with the AMG 4Matic all-wheel drive system, joining the ML63, GL63, G63, G65, E63 and upcoming A45 and CLA45 in AMG's growing range of all-wheel-drive performance models. As a result of the upgrades, the CLS63 AMG four-door coupe now rockets to 62 in 4.2 seconds, the Shooting Brake in 4.3. Proving the performance benefits of all-wheel drive, the 4Matic-equipped models reach highway speed in 3.7 seconds (3.8 for the wagon). The S-Model with the extra power and all-wheel drive hits 62 in 3.6 seconds (3.7 for the wagon).

Top speed remains electronically limited to 155 mph. The AMG SpeedShift MCT 7-speed transmission handles the power with four modes, and like the E63, the CLS63 incorporates Torque Vectoring Brake and a rear differential on the S-Model. The same 360mm ventilated and drilled brakes carry over from the E63, packed into 19-inch wheels front and back with available carbon-ceramic discs. A special option has also been revealed for the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake in the Designo wooden luggage floor made of open-poor American cherry that you might find in the finest home furnishings or on board upscale yachts.